Philip Selway: reviews, bio and key works

Philip Selway

Musician

Forradiohead listeners and fans of delicate singer‑songwriter and indie‑folk records.
3 Reviews 0 Definitions 1 Charts

The Profile

Philip Selway is an English musician best known as the drummer of Radiohead and as a solo singer‑songwriter. His solo releases include Familial (2010), the EP Running Blind (2011), Weatherhouse (2014), and Strange Dance (2023).

Drummer/percussionist of Radiohead; English musician. Earned a degree in English and History from Liverpool Polytechnic; taught English and worked in publishing before Radiohead (per reviews). Solo albums emphasize acoustic songwriting with subtle electronics and refined arrangements; Weatherhouse was released on Bella Union (per reviews).

Reviews highlight Selway’s shift from Radiohead drummer to intimate singer‑songwriter. Familial is praised for acoustic warmth and subtle electronics, with standout tracks like By Some Miracle and Beyond Reason. Weatherhouse is seen as more fully arranged, with strings and stronger vocal presence, and songs like Coming Up For Air and It Will End In Tears. Overall sentiment is appreciative of craft and mood.

Notable Quotes

❝ we have realized we are in the presence of one of the best albums of recent years.

❝ All this to say that the new work of Philip Selway, drummer of Radiohead, is not an album for every day.

❝ Ten songs, easy to understand, of extreme versatility, of notable sweetness, immediately digestible even for those who know little or nothing of Radiohead.